Life in the Bus Lane: Contributions
We asked people to tell us about their
memories of bus journeys, and to recommend their favourite
and significant bus routes in and around Plymouth. We
advertised for contributions in Plymouth Arts Centre’s
brochure, and via flyers left in various places including
Plymouth central library, and asked people to mail their
contributions to a PO Box at the Royal Mail sorting office
in Plymstock. Some people told us in person of their
memories. This is a selection of what people told us:
Crisp Wee
On the bus from Plymouth to Torquay, I was desperate to go
to the toilet. I’d had a quick drink before getting on the
bus. A mistake. By the time I’d got pout of the city I was
dying for a wee. I was getting so desperate I was thinking
I’d have to go in an empty crisp bag. I wanted to go so
bad. But I held on somehow and we got the driver to let us
off in Totnes and wait a couple of minutes so me and my
friend could rush to the toilet.
Anonymous
School Bus
I haven’t been on a bus since I was a kid. But on the
school buses there was always real segregation. The bad
kids would always rush straight up to the front seats on
the top deck, and smoke and play up. And the good kids
would always head for the seats at the back of the bus on
the ground floor. It was only the goodie goodies who sat up
the front near the driver on the lower deck. I wonder if
it’s still like that nowadays.
Alexis Gill 26 June 2002
Haircut
My son came home from school the other day. He has really a
floppy hairstyle, quite long, all hanging down over his
face. Anyway, he got back from school with all his hair all
short and said a girl had cut it for him on the school bus.
Dave Hotchkiss 8 June 2002
Compulsion Number 1: No Driver!
Route number 39 from Royal Parade outside
Lloyds has changed just recently. Final destination,
Southway, via Thorn Park Road on Mannamead. All the
passengers shout out “No, driver!” when he forgets to turn
off on the new diversion.
Compulsion Number 2: Good Luck
Most of my journeys are from the city centre
via Tavistock Road. From childhood I have a compulsion to
look up a particular road from the bus, for good luck. It’s
my insecurity or something, but as a kid I had to do
certain things to get good luck. And I have to look up the
cul de sac just past the reservoir on North Hill every
time. I can’t remember the name of the road, but the houses
are all done up in an Elizabethan style. Every time I have
to look. I’m not sure why, but it’s to bring good luck.
Compulsion Number 3: The Same Bus
When I was a young adult, if there was a
young lady I particularly fancied, I would deliberately
time my bus journeys so I could get on the same bus as her.
Even if it made me late for work. Just so I could see
whoever it was.
John Leonard 27 June 2002
School Bus 1: Fruit
On our school bus we’d always stop outside
Southway Comp. We’d get people to save all the fruit from
their lunch boxes. Then when the bus stopped outside
Southway, we’d get all the fruit and squash it up against
the back of the seats, and then lob it out of the windows
at the Southway kids. They were bigger then us and would
have killed us. They’d come banging on the door, but the
driver kept it shut and wouldn’t let them on. We were all
at Junior School, St Peter’s, Whitleigh. The Southway kids
would have killed us if they’d caught us.
School Bus 2: Wrong Bus
Once I got on the wrong bus. I didn’t know
where I was going. The bus went all round the estates on
the outskirts of Plymouth. Places I’d never been too,
although I’d lived in Plymouth all my life in Southway. The
bus was taking workers out to all the factories around
Plymouth and took ages. I was really late for school. It
was a magic ride. I was been taken away and I had no idea
where the bus was going.
Steve Mitchell 27 June 2002
City Fan
The thing about Plymouth is that the centre
is at the bottom, with the city spreading up like a fan.
I’ve lived in Plymouth all my life, yet there’s still
places on the outskirts that I’ve never been to.
Steve Mitchell 10 September 2002
Breakfast
I was on the bus to Paris. We ended up in
Calais at 5 in the morning. I was starving, and all I could
get for breakfast was a chocolate bar and a can of coke
from the machine. The French woman next to me got out a
carton of milk, drank some, then ripped the carton open,
put in some muesli and started eating it. I thought this
was brilliant, really practical.
Anonymous
Christmas
I was on a bus just before Christmas. It
broke down and we had to wait ages for someone to come out
to fix a broken hose or something. The heating had broken
down too, so it was really cold and miserable. Everyone was
getting fed up waiting. The woman next ti me put up tinsel
to make it seem more Christmassy. She had three bits of
tinsel hanging down from the luggage racks.
Darren Miles 2 July 2002
Wrong Bus
I caught the wrong bus once. I didn’t know
where it was going, we went all round these estates with
houses, up and round and all over. I didn’t have a clue
where we were, I’d never seen this part of Plymouth before.
Well, eventually we got back to Pennycomequick, in the end,
and I got off. Even now I still don’t really know where the
bus went.
Sylvia Moore 29 August 2002
First Time
When I first came to Plymouth, I got off at
the train station and I needed to get to Marjons for my
interview. Well, I managed to catch a bus, and it went up
to the bus station and waited, and then it took me off
somewhere on the outskirts of Plymouth. As we went up and
round all these roads, I kept thinking “Oh no, I’ve caught
the wrong bus. I’ll never get to my interview on time”. But
the old ladies on the bus kept saying ‘Don’t you worry
love, we’ll get you there in the end!’ Anyway, the bus did
get to Marjons eventually, I had my interview and I got my
job. Of course if it was now, I’d take a taxi, but I came
from a family which always got buses everywhere.
Linda Harding, head librarian, Plymouth College of Art and
Design 10 September 2002
Wrong Bus - School Bus
I remember getting on a school bus by
mistake once. God it was hectic. I couldn’t wait to get
off!
Rachel Hipkiss 11 September 2002
Sweets
Some of the pensioners bring sweets for the
driver. They show you their pass and then they drop a few
sweets into your tray. There’s one old lady who brings me a
bar of chocolate every week. It’s really nice - shows that
you’re appreciated.
James Scott, relief driver at CityBus 14 September 2002
Catholic Girls - School Bus
I got on a school bus the other day. Awful.
It was shocking what those girls were coming out with,
shouting out about their sexual experiences. All the
details, they didn’t care who heard. I don’t know how the
driver put up with them. One was boasting about what she
and her 38 year old boyfriend got up to. I was really
shocked. They were from the Catholic school over the road.
Real jailbait some of them.
Anonymous, nurse at Derriford Hospital 25 October 2002